Covid-19 caused a delay, but the ‘DiscoverEU’ program is back! This program offers 60,000 free train tickets for young Europeans aged between 18 and 20 to travel anywhere in Europe for free.
The European Union’s free train ticket program ‘DiscoverEU’ has started and is available to young people from across Europe. The program offers 60,000 tickets and guarantees one month of free train travel for successful applicants aged between 18 and 20.
The project, which is only open to those over 18, has been extended to include 20-year-olds due to the fact that Covid-19 has prevented the program from running over the last two years.
Young people who want to benefit from the free tickets must be citizens of the European Union and have been born between July 1, 2001, and December 31, 2003.
In addition, young people from the United Kingdom who left the European Union at the beginning of the year due to Brexit will be able to participate in the program for the last time. Due to Covid-19, their rights to use the tickets expired, and so the EU decided to include them in this program.
Applications must be submitted by the 26th of October via an online form, and applicants must also pass a quick test relating to European Union member states.
The winners will be allowed to travel for free for up to 30 days between the 1st of March 2022 and the 28th of February 2023. Participants who face any medical conditions or difficulties during travel will be supported to aid their participation.
Young people can participate in the program in groups of up to four, and if train travel isn’t possible, ferries and buses will be allowed.
In 2019, the last time the program was held, Italy, France, and Spain were the most prominent countries to apply. 350,000 young people amounted to a total ticket demand across Europe.
The European Union, which declared 2021 as the European Year of Rail, aims to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2050. Therefore, young people are encouraged to use trains more frequently while traveling.
The project is open for application through the European Youth Portal.
